Around 20 to 50 percent of North American and European women may experience reduced hot flashes with soy consumption thanks to their ability to produce the soy metabolite equol, find researchers. The study of women in America found that soy doesn't help women without the ability to produce equol after consuming soy. Bacteria in the gut metabolize equol with the help of the soy isoflavone diazden. The research, published in Menopause, involved a survey of women ages 45 to 55 in the Seattle, Washington area. The women didn't use hormone therapy (HRT), but they did eat soy foods a minimum of three times a week. Hot flashes were measured with a skin monitor, and urine tests revealed which women could produce equol.